Die ekonomie minuut

The rand has traded significantly stronger against the US dollar over the past month. This is due to falling interest rates in the US, Chinese stimulus, and positivity about South Africa's economic prospects. A stronger rand helps keep the cost of imported products, especially fuel, lower, which in turn helps reduce inflation. However, a stronger rand also presents challenges. This episode is supp...

Die rand het die afgelope maand heelwat sterker verhandel teen die Amerikaanse dollar. Dit het te doen met dalende rentekoerse in die VSA, Sjinese stimulus en positiwiteit oor Suid-Afrika se ekonomiese vooruitsigte. ʼn Sterker rand help om die koste van ingevoerde produkte, spesifiek brandstof laer te hou en dit help weer om inflasie te verminder. Maar ʼn sterker rand het ook uitdagings. Hierdie epi...

I recently talked about Zimbabwe's new ZiG currency, or Zimbabwe Gold. Since then the problems of the official and parallel market rates are now becoming an exchange rate crisis. This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Ek het onlangs gepraat oor Zimbabwe se nuwe ZiG geldeenheid, of te wel Zimbabwe Goud. Die probleme van die amptelike en parallel-mark koerse is nou besig om ʼn wisselkoerskrisis te word. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

In the past week, employment statistics and producer price inflation data were released, but interesting things were also happening in China and with the oil prices. Here is a brief summary of what is going on. This episode is supported by the Bureau of Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.

Die afgelope week is indiensname syfers en produksieprysinflasie data bekend gemaak, maar was ook interessante dinge aan die gang in Sjina en met die oliepryse. Hier is ʼn kort opsomming van wat aangaan. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die Buro vir Ekonomiese Ondersoek in Stellenbosch en die NWU Sakeskool.

The second quarter's employment statistics were released yesterday and employment grew quarter on quarter by 42,000 jobs, or 0.4%. But what does the figure tell us? This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Die tweede kwartaal se indiensname statistieke is gister bekend gemaak en indiensname het kwartaal op kwartaal met 42 000 werkgeleenthede, of te wel 0,4% gegroei. Maar wat sê die syfer vir ons? Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

If you were wondering how important China is to the global economy and the South African economy, yesterday's news from China and the reaction on the JSE was an economics lesson you won’t easily forget. This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

As jy gewonder het hoe belangrik Sjina is vir die wêreldekonomie en die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie was gister se nuus uit Sjina en die reaksie op die JSE ʼn ekonomie-les wat mens nie maklik vergeet nie. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Although we no longer have daily load shedding, one should not forget the significant challenge that energy issues still pose for the Government of National Unity and the economy. This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Hoewel ons nie meer elke dag beurtkrag het nie, moet mens nie vergeet watter groot uitdaging energievraagstukke vir die Regering van Nasionale Eenheid en die ekonomie is nie. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

To say that the Government of National Unity is better than any alternative we could have had is probably not saying much, but it is true that they have had a big positive impact on sentiment and confidence. Consumer confidence and business confidence look better and policy uncertainty is less. This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Om te sê dat die Regering van Nasionale Eenheid is beter as enige alternatief wat ons kon gehad het sê seker nie veel nie, maar dit is waar dat hulle ʼn groot positiewe impak gehad het op sentiment en vertroue. Verbruiksvertroue en sakevertroue lyk beter en beleidsonsekerheid is minder. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Economists have an interest in sport. There is of course the Moneyball aspect, but it is also about data. Sport generates data and it is in many ways more pure than real world economic data and can help answer economic questions. This episode is supported by the Bureau for Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.

Ekonome het ʼn belangstelling in sport. Daar is natuurlik die Moneyball aspek, maar gaan dit oor data. Sport genereer data en dit is op baie maniere meer suiwer as regte wêreld ekonomiese data en kan help om ekonomiese vrae te beantwoord. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die Buro vir Ekonomiese Ondersoek in Stellenbosch en die NWU Sakeskool.

One feels a little disappointed that the Monetary Policy Committee did not cut the repo by 50 basis points, but only by 25. So what now? This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Mens voel so bietjie teleurgesteld dat die Monetêre Beleidskomitee nie die repo met 50 basispunte gesny het nie, maar net met 25. So wat nou? Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

If you listen to my podcast regularly you will know that I am generally in favour of strict monetary policy and sympathetic to the challenges facing the Monetary Policy Committee - it is difficult to get the neutral interest rate right and keep inflation on target - so many things are outside of their control. But today I want to appeal to them to be bold, for the sake of economic growth. This epi...

As jy gereeld na my podsending luister sal jy weet ek is ten gunste van streng monetêre beleid en simpatiek met die uitdagings wat die Monetêre Beleidskomitee in die gesig staar – dit is moeilik om die neutrale rentekoers reg te kry en inflasie by die teiken te hou – so baie goed is buite hulle beheer. Maar vandag wil ek ʼn beroep op hulle doen om, soos mens in Engels sê, “bold”, te wees vir ekonom...

The Monetary Policy Committee has been meeting since yesterday and will announce their repo rate decision tomorrow afternoon. The expectation is that they will cut the repo rate by 25 basis points. I thought it would be good to talk about all the things they are considering. This episode is supported by Economic Research Southern Africa and the NWU Business School.

Die Monetêre Beleidskomitee vergader sedert gister en maak more middag hulle repokoers besluit bekend. Die verwagting is dat hulle die repokoers met 25 basispunte gaan sny. Ek het gedink dit is goed om vinnig te praat oor al die dinge wat hulle oorweeg. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur Economic Research Southern Africa en die NWU Sakeskool.

This week, there are significant interest rate decisions in the US and South Africa. I’ve said a few times that we cannot cut before the Americans cut, but why is that, and do we always follow them? This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Hierdie week is daar groot rentekoers besluite in die VSA en Suid-Afrika. Ek het al ʼn paar keer gesê ons kan nie sny voor die Amerikaners nie sny nie, maar hoekom is dit so, en volg ons hulle altyd? Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

There are a few ways in which we will know that the optimism about and trust in the Government of National Unity can grow the economy. One is when investment starts to increase again. Not financial investment, but real capital formation. The other is our credit rating is no longer junk status. This episode is supported by the Bureau of Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.